2015-16 Matinees for H.S. Student Groups

Each academic year, the UAlbany Performing Arts Center offers a series of weekday matinee performances that are geared for high school students. These performances are a mix of theatre, music and dance and are selected for their connections to high school curriculum.

Admission is $5 per student with chaperones free.

Resource materials are available approximately one month in advance of the shows.

Directions and bus information are provided upon reservation.

Guided campus, Performing Arts Center and Art Museum tours as well as other activities are possible when your group is on campus. More information will be provided with your reservation.

Home school students and parents are welcome.

To make a reservation for your school group or for additional details, contact Kim Engel at (518) 442-5738 or kengel@albany.edu

Julius CaesarTuesday, October 20 at 10amWaiting list available.
In this profoundly moving and deeply human play, Shakespeare shows us a world on fire; a world turned upside down; a world where some of history’s most famous men commit horrific crimes in the name of patriotism and honor. A dazzling thrill ride of betrayal, violence and perhaps most surprisingly — love, American Shakespeare Center’s production is presented in classic Shakespearian style with the action surrounded by audience on three sides.

Running Time: 2 ½ hours which includes a 15 intermission during which live acoustic music is performedResource materials: Study guide provided in advancePayment Due Date: October 1, 2015Additional opportunity: The company will conduct a post-show discussion for those groups that are able to stay for an extra 15 minutes.

ChoreoPhysicsThursdday, December 10 at 10am

For an entire semester, Professor Keith Earle of the UAlbany Physics Department and choreographer Ellen Sinopoli focused on a communion of the arts and sciences studying side by side the principles of physics and modern dance. Equal parts lecture, demonstration, performance and discussion, this program, which was viewed by over 800 high school students in the 2014-15 school year, is a result of their efforts and includes Texture of the Whole, a choreographic work for the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company that they collaborated to create and which utilizes more than a dozen laws of physics deeply intertwining the science with the dance.

Running Time: approximately 90 minutesResource Materials: Teacher materials provided in advancePayment Due Date: November 19, 2015Additional opportunities:
1)
Information sessions and tours with Physics Department faculty may be arranged upon request.
2)
The Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company is available for pre- and/or post-performance participatory workshops at your school to enhance the program experience. Fee is $175 per workshop.

Zora Tuesday, February 2 at 10am

Adapted and directed by Wynn Handman for American Place Theatre from the play by Laurence Holder, this theatrical biography performed by Cheryl Howard captures the extraordinary spirit of the “Queen of the Harlem Renaissance” and invites the audience into her exemplary life -- rich with folklore, intimate portraits of her contemporaries and excerpts from her significant body of literary work. Incorporating music from the era, the story focuses on Zora’s battle to preserve her people’s culture and to live an authentic life against all odds. Themes explored include family, race, injustice, faith, violence, pride and African American culture. This show is a Literature to Life stage presentation of Young Audiences New York.

With book by Alex Timbers and music & lyrics by Michael Friedman, this emo-rock musical recreates and reinvents the life of Andrew Jackson, from his humble beginnings on the Tennessee frontier to becoming our seventh president. The Department of Music and Theatre’s production satirizes America’s original maverick president who kicked British butt, shafted the Indians and smacked down the Spaniards, all in the name of these United States.Please note: This show contains mature content and strong language.